Power Rangers GPX SIU: Side Stories
by BigD1987
Summary: Little bits that won't appear in "Power Rangers GPX SIU" but are still (technically) canon. Set on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Includes character examinations, little comedies, adventures set in and around the SIU campus & Carbondale and other genres. Series of one-shots, shall be labeled as "Complete".
1. Maria's Fear

Power Rangers GPX SIU side story: Aftermath of Ronald's Wrath: Maria's Fear

Note: It is suggested, but not required that you read episode 6 of "Power Rangers GPX SIU".

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"Maria, are you okay?"

"Yes," she said quickly. The two were walking towards the Thompson Point residential area on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus after their Ranger battle with the insane alchemist Ronald of the Ouroboros Society, and Ronald had threatened them… they were shaken, to say the least.

"Maria, are you sure?" asked the brown-eyed Chicago area native. The Venezuelan woman nodded quickly. But he wasn't so sure.

"Of course," she said, kicking a pinecone on the ground. Even though it's February, and there's still some snow on the ground, a few pinecones were strewn about.

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked. His face showed genuine concern for his Yellow Ranger. She kept walking, trying to get back to her dorm. But Sean wasn't done. "I'm glad we beat him," he said. "He was a pain in the ass…" Nothing came out of her. The GPX Ranger was getting nervous. She usually wasn't this quiet.

"I can't believe Marty took the Gold Morpher," she said.

"Neither can I," he said out of genuine honesty. His old friend had shown up to save them (even if he didn't do such a good job) against Ronald. Sean dug his hands into his vest wondering what he was going to say to her. She was usually more talkative than this, but… they'd been beaten.

Ronald had threatened, in his unstoppable rage, to torture them all to the worst pain imaginable for as long as he wanted. They'd even thought that dying quickly would take away his joy in killing them.

But he died first.

Maybe that's why she's shaken. She'd just seen a man impaled through the chest right in front of her. "I know you're shocked," he said. "I mean, I've never—"

"_¿Por qué no te callas?_" she interrupted in her native Spanish. He long, dark brown hair whipping around her head.

"Hey, I'm sorry!" he said, his eyes burning angrily under his baseball cap. "Look, we're almost to Thompson Point, you want to get something from Lakeside?"

"No," she said. Sean huffed. Usually, he's not like this, but dammit, his Yellow Ranger is not cooperating! He sighed, his breath making a smoke in the chilly southern Illinois winter air.

He made a choice to try and delay her arrival at Bowyer Hall, her dorm building.

Thompson Point is named because it's on a point on the Campus Lake, a man-made lake used by students for fishing, boating and swimming. It's a campus landmark. There's a walking path along the lake that's popular with exercisers and Sean decided to lead her (subtly) to the lakeside path.

After crossing the road, he led her past the closest dorm building (he didn't get the name, but he heard it was an all-men's engineering hall… that sucks!) and to the path. There was a basketball court outside, right next to the sidewalks, which was next to Lentz Hall. Oh, right, Bailey Hall, that's the dorm's name. "You want to check your mail?" She shook her head.

Sean sighed in annoyance as they passed the basketball court and walked past Lentz. "Maria, I know I've never really been that great with… stuff… but I'm trying my best here! What's going on?"

She was quiet.

"Dammit, Maria, you're never this quiet!" said Sean.

"Shut up, American!"

"HEY!" He grabbed her, making her look at him. "First off, don't tell me to shut up when I'm trying to help! Second, you used 'American' like it's a bad thing!"

"I'm fine!" she said.

"No, you're not!" he shouted back. "You're never this quiet! You're always talking and being sarcastic—that can be bad, but I like your sarcasm, it's funny."

"You do?" she said, genuinely interested.

"I said it's funny," he said. All of the Rangers (Kevin [Blue], Aaron [Green], Rob [Silver]), save for Hitomi [Pink] were good with sarcasm (just read the story some time, you'll see what I mean), but Maria's the best.

"Thanks," she said.

"And if Ronald ever threatened to do anything to you, I'd make him feel ten times worse whatever pain he threatened us with," said Sean. She smiled. "Now tell me, what's wrong?"

"It was during the fight," she said, choking up, "Ronald threatened to torture us to the worst pain imaginable. I… didn't know he was capable of such monstrous thinking. I mean, you said Drake liked us as an enemy."

"Ronald isn't Drake," said Sean.

"Yes, but, not only that, he threatened to…" She choked up. "I… I…"

"What?" He took a hold of her biceps, which were toned and athletic underneath her sweatshirt.

"I…" Sean's not an expert on women, and he's never claimed to be, and he never will be. He has no idea why she's getting so emotional right now, but he's definitely sure he's never seen her act like this before. She's always been a strong woman that she and her mother could be proud of. She wasn't afraid of anything. A threat of the r-word would just make her kick the bastard in the balls.

Wait, is she…

"Are you scared?"

She glared at him in a way that scared _him_. This is also a young man, age 21, who can stare down a Great Old One and declare he'll kill that Eldritch Abomination. In the main story, he's faced down alien generals and monsters much stronger than him and won. In this continuity, he's faced alchemists with extraordinary powers and come out on top. And he's a hockey player; he's spat at the largest enforcers on the ice and gotten away.

These two are among the strongest and closest to the physically perfect (although not bulked up, and are only about 175 and 140 lbs respectively) humans on the planet. They've been trained since they were kids by a top secret defense organization to take down the worst enemies humanity can face. They're Power Rangers. They don't quit, they don't surrender, they don't lose, and they're not afraid of anything.

But right here, they're still twenty-something college students. They're superheroes, but they're still human. Not only that, they just saw some getting impaled right in front of them.

And right now, Maria is scared.

"Yes," she said.

Instantly, Sean wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into his vest's shoulder, gripping the maroon sleeve of his hoodie and the back of his vest. She was crying.

"I-I-I don't—" She could barely speak. He squeezed her, strongly, but gently. "P-p-please d-don't t-tell."

"Who?"

"Anyone," she said. He could only chuckle, but understood what she meant.

"It's okay," he said calmly, which he was surprised he was capable of. "If it's okay, I'm kinda scared, too."

"Bullshit," she said.

It may be that this is the only time she ever shows fear to someone, the only time that threats of torture and far worse actually shake her like this. But fear is human and it can be overcome. Showing fear does not mean that you're weak in a bad way. It means that you're still a person, not a machine. You're not a bad character because you're a badass and suddenly show fear. At some point, the reality of what you're facing will come back to bite you, and that's what's going on here.

Two badass superheroes; Power Rangers, are showing the fear that over ten years of training cannot erase, but millennia of human emotions keep in place. They just fought an intense battle for their lives and came out victorious, but scared and weak at the same time. But they will learn from this and they silently swear to each other that they'll beat the Ouroboros Society so that they'll never show this kind of fear again and save this fear for midterms, finals or job interviews.

Maria pulled away when she realized she was getting Sean's vest wet. "Sorry," she said.

"It's okay," he replied.

"I've never seen you act like this before," she said.

"The same with you."

"Oh, right," she said. "I'm so weak."

"Why are you saying that like a bad thing?" said Sean. "Rob and my dad tell me they're always scared on the beat."

"But they're cops," she said, "They're not quite—"

"That's not the point," he said. "If you don't want anyone to know, I swear I won't tell anyone."

"Okay," she said.

"But I want to do something for you," he said. "No, it's not a date. There's a place called Mary Lou's downtown, you wanna go there?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"Great!" he said. "It's a breakfast place, so we're still going drinking with Marty tonight, but we'll have to wake up early tomorrow."

"Fine," she groaned. "Just get out of here."

"You don't have to be so rude," he said.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

End chapter

Okay, so how was that? I tried to put in enough infodump/exposition to make sure you guys can sympathize with these characters, but at least read my character notes on my profile if you have any questions, and/or you can read the fic and the TV Tropes article (HOORAY!).

Yeah, there's some sensitive issues involved, but I wanted to be subtle because said issues, if mishandled, can really bring down your work. And yes, strong women can show fear. It's human! Why the hell do you think horror movies are popular?


	2. The Report

Power Rangers GPX SIU side story: The Report

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"We're on in ten, nine," said the floor director at WSIL TV, based out of Carterville, Illinois. "Seven, six," he stopped counting audibly but kept counting down with his hands while the news anchors waited for their cue to start. He pointed to the news anchor and she began.

"Good evening, and welcome to WSIL TV 3 news at six, I'm Judy Hammond,"

"And I'm Kevin Louis, our top story tonight, Southern Illinois University is investigating an attack on their campus today that has shaken the community both in and around the campus, Hank Choi is in Carbondale talking to the community about the attack, Hank?"

"Good evening, Kevin," said Choi, standing in front of Pulliam Hall, "This may look peaceful now, but earlier today, this was the sight of an intense superhero fight that was far too real for many students."

"It was just so unreal—"

"Jennifer Grand is an SIU sophomore from Chicago, and she never thought she'd see anything like this."

"This guy just appeared out of nowhere and grabbed someone by the neck and we just freaked out—"

"A man somehow teleported onto the SIU campus and attacked a pair of students, accosting them for several minutes before SIU and Carbondale police showed up and eventually, the Power Rangers."

"He was just tossing them around, but I didn't see a whole lot," said Keenan Freeman, whose caption reads "SIU student".

"SIU police officer Rob Jackson was the first officer on the scene."

"The man materialized on the sidewalk," said Rob, "And tried to attack two students, but we managed to stop him."

"SIU's department of public safety went into action and ordered an evacuation of the campus, but the fight continued."

"The Power Rangers showed up and engaged the attacker—"

"And why didn't you try to help them?" Choi interrupted. Rob stayed calm.

"Because when it comes to the Power Rangers, it's best if you let them do their work."

"Still, five Rangers were not enough," Choi continued, "And it took a sixth Ranger appearing out of nowhere to even the odds for the Rangers, even just a tiny bit. However, the fight ended fifteen minutes after it began, but just as quickly and suddenly as it ended, when the attacker's alchemical attack backfired and he was impaled on the spike he summoned. The body has been taken into the custody of Jackson County.

"Still, the campus is reeling from the shock of the attack. Many students have said that their tranquil experience here at SIU has been upended, and the university may have much more than a public relations mess on their hands."

"However, the campus is still safe and quiet, and they will conduct an investigation into the attack. An early examination of the attacker's tattoos suggest he may be connected to the attacks in the area involving the Power Rangers, but the FBI, who have been called in to investigate, have no comment on that yet. Reporting live from the SIU campus in Carbondale, Hank Choi, WSIL TV 3 News."


	3. Mary Lou's

Power Rangers GPX SIU side story: Mary Lou's Grill

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

It was about nine-fourty-something in the morning on Saturday, February 4, when Maria Aparicio went to a country style diner for the first time in Carbondale. It was not something he felt proud of, though. Many an American sitcom that she enjoyed watching in Brazil (which is not her homeland, but a place she's lived in exile) had an episode where they'd go to a greasy diner with greasy food and greasy tabletops and greasy-haired waitresses.

Yeah, she hates grease.

"Come on, it's not gonna be that bad," said Sean.

"Why here?" she asked, shivering and shoving her hands in her jacket pockets as they walked down Illinois Avenue.

"I popped in my head," said Sean. "I mean, Rob says he liked this place." This was usually a side anyone other than the other Power Rangers saw of him, a calmer, cool Sean O'Callahan. In the heat of battle, he's one of the most intense fighters you'll ever see, and outside of battle he's pretty blunt and sarcastic. But don't take the author's word for it. "He says it's 114 S. Illinois Ave." The place moved one building south a year later.

"Wonderful," she said sarcastically.

"If you don't want to come you can turn around, you know," he said, getting back into his usual hostile tone of voice. "But I did it to make you feel better after what happened yesterday."

Carbondale is officially listed as a city by the State of Illinois, but is more of a large town. But who cares, it's a nice place. The two had passed the Strip, where all the bars and clubs were, the Dairy Queen (the first one in the state of Illinois!) and getting close to the Amtrak station, which meant Mary Lou's Grill was getting close.

The restaurant was on the corner of W. Main Street and S. Illinois Avenue with a large "MARY LOU'S" sign in white letters on a maroon sign above the main entrance and Saluki imagery on the building. Guess who they support.

It was a small, diner-like place that certainly looked right out of a country TV show but with a little bit of urban/suburban influence. The walls were plastered with photos of celebrities and famous SIU Salukis. It wasn't too crowded, but there weren't a whole lot of people there. Some George Strait song was playing on the floor was a red-and-white checkered tile design and Sean and Maria took a seat at the diner.

"This place looks tacky," she said.

"Good morning sweeties," said the waitress, handing them their menus. "Would you like our biscuits and gravy to start off?"

"Sounds good," said Sean.

"Biscuits and gravy?" said Maria.

"They're supposed to have the best in the area," said Sean. "I'd like some coffee, cream and two sugars."

"Black and two sugars," said Maria. "I can tell whatever coffee you have is not—"

"Maria!"

"It's fine, we're not Starbuck's," said the waitress. "I'll wait for your orders."

"You're that kid who was grabbed yesterday, right?" They heard a voice to their left. A man, somewhere in his late 40s and appeared to be a long-time resident or native of the area, topped off with a Cardinal's hat and an accent was looking at them. He showed them the front page of the _Southern Illinoisan_. Sean's image was plastered on the front, being held up by the neck by Ronald, the man who attacked yesterday.

Even though he's one of the strongest human beings on the planet, Sean touched his neck. There were still bruises from Ronald's fingers. He'd threatened to strangle him in the most horrendous way; he'd be strangled for hours. His comrades would be tortured and feel the worst pain imaginable and their begging for death would be ignored. He had no idea Ronald of the Ouroboros Society had such a sadistic streak.

"Never thought I'd see something like that here," said the old man. "I reckoned all these darn 'Power Ranger' fights were just a TV show, but things have changed. I don't reckon I like it."

"Biscuits and gravy are complimentary sweetie," the waitress interrupted, giving them their biscuits slathered in country-style gravy and their coffee. "Would you like to order?"

"I'd like some pancakes," said Sean.

"Scrambled eggs," said Maria.

"Thank you darlings," she said.

"I don't like it," the man said after patiently waiting for the waitress to finish.

"Don't like what?" asked Sean.

"What's the name of those fellers with the snake tattoo?"

"I don't know," Sean lied.

"My corn field got defaced by those fellers," said the old man, "And now I see them assaulting innocent college kids, those fellers have no conscience. May God have mercy on them."

Sean doesn't believe in God, but this seemed interesting. "You think so?" he asked.

"A feller like that who attacks college students," said the old man, "Is not a just man."

Sean and Maria looked at each other. Maybe they actually had some supporters for once (in the main GPX continuity, they're on the receiving end of attacks from a Glenn Beck-style madman). "So what about the Power Rangers?" asked Sean.

"God bless 'em," said the farmer. "Whoever they are, they're doing the most thankless job imaginable. I remember when I was reading comic books as a young'un. I can imagine being a superhero is hard."

"I guess so," said Sean.

"Although I do want a word with whoever designed their costumes," said the farmer. "And I thought underwear on the outside was silly."

_It's not like we can do much about it_, thought Maria. She took a sip of her coffee. "This isn't so bad," she said.

"You like it?" asked Sean, "Wow!" She hit him on the arm.

"I tell you, if that feller ever comes near my cornfield," said the farmer, "I'll introduce 'im to my thirty-ought-six."

"Um, Sean?"

"American gun thinking," said Sean. "Don't get too worked up."

Maria sighed and shook her head at typical American insanity.

She was hungry, so she swallowed her health-loving pride and took a bite out of her biscuits and gravy. "This is good!" she said.

"That's what I've heard," said Sean.

"Enjoyin' yourself, hun?" said the waitress. Maria nodded eagerly. It wasn't as orgasmic as the chocolate cake from the department stores owned by Hitomi's family (whenever she wanted a non-sexual orgasm, she ordered one of those), but it tasted fantastic! "Your eggs will be up soon."

"Hey, don't eat that so quickly," said Sean.

"I might as well splurge—that's the word, right—every now and then!" Maria replied. "But you're taking me to the co-op next time."

"Those hippies," the farmer muttered. "But they do pay well."

"I think I'll go to Tres next time," Sean said to himself.

"Here's your food darlings," said the waitress.

"Wow, I didn't know you were hungry for—" Maria stopped him in his tracks with the most evil glare she'd even given.

"I'm splurging for once," she said.

"I take it she's health conscious?" said the waitress.

"Very," said Sean. "Well, she does eat eggs, but only reluctantly."

"Because the dorm food—"

"Ohh, that's why," said the waitress.

"See, I have someone who understands me here," she said. "More coffee, _por favor_?"

"Are you from Mex—"

"Venezuela."

"Sorry."

"Although she has been in exile in Brazil," Sean said through some pancake-in-mouth. "And she's been having a rough week, so you can kinda-sorta forgive her for her rude behavior today."

"What about last night at Pinch?" Maria shot back.

"I had three Amber Bocks," said Sean.

"You two make a good couple," said the waitress.

"_WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!_"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"Did you like that?" Sean asked after they left.

"It was pretty good," said Maria. "But I'm probably not eating there anymore."

"Why?" asked Sean.

"Too much grease."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

End

Mary Lou's grill is a real and popular place in downtown Carbondale right across from the train tracks near the old train station. It's as country-style diner and I've eaten there before, but I haven't been there in years (and they moved from their old location! Carbondale changed _way _too much, even when I was down there!).

Hope you enjoyed this!


	4. Marty Meets Hitomi (and Her Stash)

Power Rangers GPX SIU Side Stories: Marty Meets Hitomi (And Her Stash)

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"Thanks for coming again Sean," said Maria as he and Marty walked into her and Hitomi's dorm room. "This thing needed to be moved, so I'm sorry I had to call you so soon and so rushed like this."

"Nah, it's okay," said Sean. "It's not like I had anything better to do, like my homework."

"Cut the sass," she replied. "Hitomi needs to get this ironing board out of here, and we've been delaying it ever since she came back from Winter Break with a new one."

"And why does she need us?" asked Marty.

"Because Sean is the only one with access to a car," said Maria, "Even if he is borrowing Bridge's car."

"It's the best I could do," said Sean. "Ah well, Bridge wants another ironing board, so I think she'll appreciate this one. Where is it?" Maria showed Sean to their closet where the ironing board is. Marty looked to Hitomi, who was watching some anime on her laptop in between doing some homework. "Okay, easy," said Sean.

"Got it," said Maria. "Do you and Marty want to…"

"No, I'll stick up here," said Marty. "You go ahead, I'll wait."

"Alright, let's go Maria," Sean said as the two walked out of her Bowyer Hall dorm room outside to his sister Bridget's car.

Marty walked over to Hitomi, who was engrossed in her anime. "Uh… hi." He said.

Hitomi turned around with a smile. "_Konichiwa_," she said eagerly. "You are Martin, correct?"

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Whatcha watchin'?"

"It's called _To Aru no Majutsu no Index_," she replied. That silence you hear is Marty's total ignorance in the subject.

"Um, okay," said Marty. "Is it any good?"

"It's good," she replied. "So you are Sean's friend, yes?"

"Yeah, we knew each other from Catholic School—even though he was never Catholic—when we were kids. We stayed friends even after his moms moved to Naperville. He did spend weekends with his dad, so we never really grew that far apart."

"Oh," she replied. "Did you ever think he was going to become a Power Ranger?"

"Well, no," said Marty. "I mean, he mentioned he was taking karate back when we were playing pee wee hockey, but that's it! I had no idea this shit was going on!"

"My family helps fund Project Ranger," said Hitomi. "My brother, our first Green Ranger, knew all along that this was going on and never told me. In fact, because we were funding it, he assumed he was going to be in a leadership position."

"And he was wrong," Marty rightly assumed. Hitomi nodded.

"He and Sean never did get along," said Hitomi. "Maybe that's why it was so easy for him to mutiny against him."

"Mutiny!?"

"I did go with him, but it depleted us and Ronald nearly killed them," said Hitomi. "In case you're asking, we simply avoided them and I temporarily moved out of this room."

"No wonder the guy went to Northwestern," said Marty.

"He called my brother 'Rich Boy'."

"HAHAHAHA! That sure sounds like O'C!" Marty laughed. "So you're from Tokyo, right?"

"Kyoto, actually."

"What's the difference?"

"Kyoto's in the west, Tokyo's in the east," she replied. Marty stared blankly. "Forget it. So how long have you been here?"

"I've been in Carbondale since I was a freshman," said Marty. "I wanted to go to U of I, but I didn't get in, so I came here instead. It's not that bad though, U of I is really hard to get into."

"So are a lot of universities in Japan," said Hitomi. "My high school teachers suggested this place because of a lot of Japanese students who go here."

"Have you met any?"

"_Hai!_" Marty was confused. "It means 'yes'."

"Oh. Um, do you think I'm gonna be any good as a Ranger?"

"Rob is good," said Hitomi. She smiled reassuringly. "You'll do fine, I'm sure of it!"

"Thanks," said Marty. "And how come you speak real good English… but with an accent?"

"I'm rich, so our family hired some of the best English teachers to teach me since I was little," she said.

"Just how rich are you?"

"Rich enough," she said.

"Holy shit," said Marty. "I need some water." He got up to go out, but he tripped on something. "Damn," he said, picking up the box. Some squiggly lines were written on the box (it's _kanji_, BTW). Out of curiosity, he opened the box.

Inside were several comic books in Japanese. Some of them had dudes on the front. Are they supposed to be good-looking or something? Maybe it's one of those "Eye of the beholder" thingies. Of course, Marty doesn't swing that way, he was just wondering why Hitomi would have these things.

He picked one up that had a dude from a show that seemed maybe kinda familiar. Musta been something on the internet he saw once. He opened the comic, kind of curious about what was in it and—

"AH!" Marty dropped the comic. Hitomi looked behind and shrugged, even though he was standing like a statue.

"Jeez, that was harder than I thought!" Sean said as he came in to the room.

"How could that ironing board be so hard to fit—what's wrong with Marty?"

"Yo, Marty!" Sean said, shaking his friend. Meanwhile, Maria looked at the box Marty had gotten out. Her eyes widened in total shock.

"_Ay dios mio_," she said. "Sean, I think he saw Hitomi's stash."

"What stash?" Sean asked.

"T-t-t-t-two g-g-g-g-uys…" Marty stuttered.

"The stash with the Why-Ay-Oh-Eye," she whispered.

Sean's eyes widened. "Oh my god. He's been traumatized! MARTY! Say something, man!"

"The horror," Marty whispered.

"You'll be okay!" Sean said again. "Don't worry man, I'll take good care of you!" he led the poor soul away from the box while Maria put it away.

"I like that kind of thing too, but that's too much for him!" she said. "Hitomi, your _doujinshi _have broken a poor soul!"

"You're sick, woman!" Sean shouted. "Even guys who swing that way would be horrified by your… I can't even say it!"

"Don't worry Sean, Marty will be okay!" said Maria. "Just show him Pam Anderson and he'll be back to normal in no time."

"Let's get you some _Baywatch_," Sean said, pushing Marty out of the room.

"Boobies…" Marty moaned.

"See you tomorrow," Sean said as he closed the door.

"Maria?" Hitomi asked. "Did you have to react that way?"

"Of course!" said Maria. "I like to read you stuff too, but you have to be more careful about where you put it!" she looked around to make sure Sean and Marty weren't there. "I think I know where."

"I hope it's not under your bed," said Hitomi.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

End

So how was that? Did you feel sorry for poor Marty? Yaoi is a dangerous weapon, ladies. Be careful about who sees it. And no, this is not homophobic in the least. It's just meant to be funny.


	5. The Team Argues What to Order

Power Rangers GPX SIU Side Story: The Team Argues What to Order

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The image of Jen Scotts looked around the room. Five GPX Rangers; Sean O'Callahan (Red), Aaron Ndebele (Green) Maria Aparicio (Yellow), Hitomi Miyazawa (Pink) and Marty McAuliffe (Gold) watched her eyes. She looked twice at Marty, the newbie. Squinting her eyes, she forced him to look away for a second. "Are you sure he's ready?" she finally asked.

The other Rangers looked at each other. Was this supposed to be a rhetorical question? "Um, yeah," Sean said matter-of-factly.

Scotts' image sighed. "Are you sure?" she asked. She scanned over the room again in Sean's apartment. "All he did was to take the morpher. That's not how you became Rangers."

"Except for Rob," said Sean. "But I saw the guy fight before in hockey, he'll be fine. Besides, being forced to fight is a fantastic reward for taking that morpher."

"Thanks a lot," Marty said, picking up the others' affinity for sarcasm.

"Right now we're trying to capitalize on a potential mistake," said Sean. "We think they tried to target a teacher here and we're going to talk to him to see if he might be able to help."

"Fair enough," said Scotts. She adjusted her stance, her Time Force uniform shining in what must be light on the other side. "But let me warn you: You'd better get your act together. And I especially mean _him_."

"Don't worry, as long as he doesn't use a baseball bat, we'll be fine," said Sean.

"I take it you were only waiting for a chance to joke," said Scotts.

"I think he was," said Aaron.

"Pretty much, yeah," said Sean.

"Look, I can't give you too much advice except don't get cocky," said Scotts. "I know you've already gone through rough patches, so that would just be stating the obvious. Keep us updated on whatever the Ouroboros Society is planning… if you can find anything."

"Sure," said Sean. Scotts' image faded, leaving behind the physical manifestation of the Morphing Grid. Sean took the Grid and wheeled it back into his room.

"So now what?" asked Aaron.

"I don't know," said Maria. There was a silence in that moment. It was a confused silence, when nobody—

_GUUURGLE_

Maria blushed a deep red. "I guess we'll need to find something to eat!"

"But what?" asked Marty. "I'm not going to the dining halls!"

"Neither am I," said Aaron. "I can only deal with that crap for so much longer!"

"What's the commotion?" Sean asked.

"We're hungry!" said Hitomi.

"And we're not eating your food!" said Maria.

"Fine," said Sean. "Let's get some pizza. That Primo's place just opened."

"No," said Maria.

"Then how about Italian Village?"

"Do they deliver?" asked Maria.

"I don't think so," said Sean.

"Fuck no. And no Quatro's, either!"

"Well then where the hell do you suggest we eat!?" Sean shouted.

"The _DE _has something here," said Aaron. He held out a map of restaurants in Carbondale that was printed in the _Daily Egyptian_. "How about Jewel of India?"

"Curry?" said Sean. "No way, I'm still having nightmares about their curry."

"Then how about Jimmy John's?"

"There's Jimmy Johns all over the place!" said Maria. "I don't want a chain!"

"Then maybe New Kahala!" said Sean.

"I don't want that place, their stuff is icky!" said Hitomi.

"You gotta be kidding me!" said Sean. He facepalmed, flopping down on a chair.

"Let's go to Pinch," said Marty.

"We'll go to Pinch this weekend!" said Sean.

"Then I want Tres Hombres!" said Marty.

"That place is probably packed," said Sean.

"What about Papa John's?" asked Hitomi.

"I hate chain pizza," Sean replied. "And Whiffle Boys is terrible."

"How about some place near the mall?" Maria asked while looking at the map.

"I thought you said you didn't want chains," said Sean.

"Oh," Maria groaned. "Well, how are we supposed to find a place to eat if everyone of us is so picky?"

"How am I picky?" asked Hitomi, "When you've only eaten from the co-op?"

"Because their food is good!" said Maria.

"You gotta be kidding me," said Sean. "Fuck it, I'm gonna order Don Taco."

"Absolutely not!" Maria shouted.

"Why, don't you like Mexican?" asked Marty.

"Of course I do," said Maria. "I just don't want Don Taco."

"I have no idea why," said Sean. The frustration was getting to him. He'd practically gone through all of the restaurants in town except for Chicago Hot Dogs (that would probably be rejected) and the gyro place near Stix.

"Dude, let's just order Chinese," said Marty.

"From where? Hunan or New Kahala?"

"Hunan, dude!" Marty said matter-of-factly.

"Hunan and I don't get along," said Sean. "Especially since I had to go with Rich Boy and Hitomi."

"What happened?" asked Marty.

"They almost called the police for Disturbing the Peace," said Hitomi.

"Oh," said Marty. "Let's just get some Little Ceasar's."

"No chains!" said Sean.

"Oh, right."

"What about Fat Patty's?" asked Aaron.

"NO." said Maria.

"You've said no to everything!" said Aaron.

"At least I have a reason to!"

"Okay, we're seriously fighting over where to eat?" said Marty.

"We're jagovs," said Sean. "Okay, you know what? Fuck this, I think I know a place where we can go."

"Is it cheap?" asked Aaron. Since when was he concerned about price?

"Is it healthy?" asked Maria.

"Yes to both," Sean said while calling the person up.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"I'm glad you called before I started making dinner," said Bridget. "I wasn't expecting you guys to come over." They all sat around Bridget's dinner table, about to enjoy a grilled chicken dinner with her, Rob, Allie and Cassie. Sean sat to Bridget's right near the head of the table while Aaron sat next to him and Marty sat closest to Rob. Maria sat between Cassie and Allie while Hitomi sat between Allie and Rob.

"Well, we couldn't decide on any place to go," Sean said while taking some corn from Rob.

"How bad was the argument?" Rob asked, "And how come you didn't eat at your apartment?"

"You mean the lousy excuse for food at his apartment?" said Maria.

"I wonder how you survive on that, too," said Bridget.

"Probably because I also eat at the dorms," said Sean.

"And we were not going to eat there," said Aaron.

"Still, it's great you're getting some home-cooked food," said Bridget. "Besides, Allie's been missing you."

"Can we pway Unca Sean?" Allie asked, right on cue.

"Right after dinner, kiddo," said Sean.

"Auntie Mawia," Maria couldn't get used to hearing that, even if Allie said that to everyone, "I saw a hawk today!"

"That's wonderful!" Maria replied. "How'd you see it?"

"It was on a wight pole, and it just sat dere for a while," said Allie. She continued to regale Maria with that story for several minutes.

"Well now, since we're all here, let's get started," said Bridget. "Hitomi, would you do the honors?"

"Gladly," she replied. "_Itadakimasu!_"

"_Ita-docky-mass!_" the rest of the table called out and proceeded to dig in.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

End side story


	6. The Team Meets Maggie

Power Rangers GPX SIU Side Story 6: The Team Meets Maggie, Goes to Hangar 9 and Sees a Band

:-:-:-: Pow-er Rang-ers, Grand Prix, G-P-X, GO! :-:-:-:

It was a Friday night at Hangar 9 on the Strip in C-Dale. The place was crowded, forcing a cover charge (the bane of any cash-strapped drinker). It was also loud, and a band was setting up on the stage in the big bar. The bar itself has two levels, allowing for overflow. The drink flowed and conversations went on.

We find our heroes here for tonight. Tonight, there's a local Heavy Metal band performing, and they've heard good things about the band, so Sean dragged them here. No, Kevin wasn't with them, but—surprise!—Hitomi was! Yes, she'd just turned 19 this week (after her little haircut), legally allowed to enter bars in the State of Illinois (but not drink).

So here was the gang and Hitomi's misshapen hair, sitting at a table on the upper level, having a drink and getting ready to enjoy a band with a sound much like the bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal ( a real metalhead knows what this means. If you don't, look it up). "Why can't I drink?" asked Hitomi.

"Cuz you're under age," Sean said, taking a swig of Jack Daniel's and quickly coughing up as the whisky burned his throat.

"You okay, dude?" Marty asked.

"Yeah," said Sean. Maria chuckled, putting her hand on her boyf—I mean, friend's—shoulder (no spoilers!).

"Just wait until you try our rum," said Maria.

"I dunno, I kind a like the Captain," said Sean. No, the Captain is not Venezuelan; he said that for a different reason.

"What's the name of the band?" asked Aaron.

"I think they're named after a bad guy in _Ghostbusters_," said Sean. He took another sip of Jack and coughed again. "Whisky!"

"Stick to beer, dude," Marty said while sipping some beer.

"But I wanna try it!" Sean whined.

"What's wrong with that?" asked Maria. She grabbed Sean's glass, pouring some into her glass and took a swig. One coughing jag later, "Yeah, stop drinking this."

Sean grunted and got up to go to the bar, which was downstairs, muttering about how they all pissed him off.

"Did you really mean that?" Aaron asked with a knowing smile on his face.

"Yes," said Maria.

"Can I have some?" Hitomi asked.

"You're not 21," said Marty.

"I'll let you have one sip," said Maria. Disclaimer: The author does not endorse underage drinking under any circumstance (although that probably wouldn't matter in the long run). She poured a small amount of rum for Hitomi to drink and the Japanese girl lifted up her glass up. "How is it?"

"Bad!" Hitomi said. "I think it burns!"

"Well, that'll stop her!" said Aaron. Some guitars started playing, but it sounded more like a soundcheck.

"I'll get Sean to bring up some Coke," said Maria, texting him.

"So when's the band going to start?" asked Aaron.

"I dunno," said Marty. "Hey, where's Sean?"

"Forget it," said Maria.

"Where's my soda?" said Hitomi.

"Calm down, Hitomi," said Maria. "What a lousy boy—oh, here he comes and who is _that_?" Sean was coming up stairs holing a Bud in one hand, a Coke in the other and talking to some girl he seemed to like. However, Marty was looking at her with his eyes wide.

"I didn't know she was here!"

"Sorry I'm late," said Sean. "Just take a seat!"

"Great," said the girl, who had something of an Irish face, a fair skin tone, freckles, blue eyes and slightly curly brown hair. "I didn't know you were here too, Marty."

"Hi Maggie," said Marty.

"Maggie?" said Maria. "You know her?"

"Yeah, she's a friend of mine," said Sean, "I've known her since kindergarten."

"Hi," said Maggie. "I'm Maggie O'Hara."

"Maria Aparicio," she said, shaking the other woman's hand. "This is Hitomi Miyazawa and Aaron Ndebele." Hitomi got up and bowed.

"_Konnichiwa, hajimemashite_?" she said.

"Um, what?" said Maggie.

"She said she's pleased to meet you—I think," said Sean. "And getting back to our conversation, only you could order straight vodka!"

"Really?" said Marty.

"And all you ordered was a fucking Blue Moon!" said Maggie.

"I think I like her already," said Maria. "So why are you here?"

"Oh, I just transferred from UIC," Maggie replied. "I kinda got sick of that shithole and this school looked better."

"Just like how I got tired of Rio," said Maria.

"You lived in Rio?" said Maggie. "I've always wanted to go there!"

"Stay away," said Maria, "Unless you want to get shot."

"Girl, I'm from Chicago," said Maggie.

"Rio's worse," said Maggie. "But if it makes you feel better, they should never have gotten the Olympics."

"_Slainte!_"Sean and Marty said in unison.

"I think they agree with you," said Aaron.

"Sean, what's up with your head? Where'd those stitches come from?" said Maggie.

"I got beat up by a wolverine monster that was looking for the Power Rangers," said Sean. "Luckily they saved my ass."

"Ouch," said Maggie.

"The whisky was helping the pain," Sean said, giving Maria a dirty look.

"Just drink the whisky!" said Maggie.

"Good ol' Maggs!" said Marty.

"And you like it that way," she said, getting pretty close to the blushing young man.

"Come on Maggs, you've been doing that for years, quit flirting with him and kiss him already," said Sean.

"No," said Maggie. She took a look at Sean and Maria and smiled cheekily. "She's a pretty good looking woman, you lucky bastard."

"Why thank you," said Maria.

"I'll bet she might win a beauty pageant, too."

"I'd rather not enter one," said Maria. "They're meat parades. But, I have no doubt I'd win one."

"Great job stroking her ego," said Sean.

"So where's a hot chick like you from?"

"I'm from Venezuela," said Maria. "This looks like the beginning of a nice friendship."

"And what about your friend?" asked Maggie.

"I'm from Kyoto," said Hitomi. "I mean, Japan."

"A Japanese girl, eh, and—what's up with her hair?"

"Botched haircut," said Sean. "She's getting a proper one tomorrow and—oh sweet, the band's starting!" He started headbanging to the band's fast-paced traditional Heavy Metal sound.

"Forget him," said Maria, "So Maggie, where do you live?"

"On West Mill Street," said Maggie. "Why, you want to hang out?"

"It sounds good," said Maria. "And these boys aren't invited."

"Sounds great," said Maggie. "Is she coming with?"

"Of course," said Maria. "Sean, is the band any good?"

"Fucking awesome!" said Sean.

"Should we listen?" said Maria.

"They sound good," said Marty. "I vote yes."

"Agreed," said Aaron.

"I want to hear them!" said Hitomi.

"Guess that question's been answered," said Maggie. The conversation ended as the group listened to some heavy metal playing in the two-tiered bar.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

End chapter


End file.
